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wantedraccoongames · 2 years ago

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Is Game Development In Demand?

Are you a gaming enthusiast with dreams of turning your passion into a career? Or maybe you're already an aspiring game developer looking to take the industry by storm. Whatever the case, you may be wondering: is game development in demand? Well, look no further! In this blog post, we'll explore the exciting world of game development and uncover just how much demand there is for talented individuals like yourself. So get ready to level up your knowledge and discover if game development is truly worth pursuing!

Game Development Industry Overview

The game development industry has experienced an explosive growth in recent years, becoming a multi-billion dollar global phenomenon. From mobile games to virtual reality experiences, the demand for innovative and immersive gaming content is at an all-time high. One of the driving forces behind this rapid expansion is the increasing accessibility of gaming platforms. With smartphones and tablets becoming more powerful and affordable, people from all walks of life are now able to enjoy gaming on-the-go. This shift has opened up a whole new market for game developers to tap into. Additionally, advancements in technology have pushed the boundaries of what is possible in terms of graphics, gameplay mechanics, and storytelling. Game developers are constantly striving to create immersive worlds that captivate players' imaginations and keep them coming back for more. Furthermore, the rise of esports has also contributed to the growth of the game development industry. Competitive gaming tournaments draw massive audiences both online and offline, creating opportunities for game developers to create titles specifically tailored for competitive play.

In Demand Game Genres

The world of video games is constantly evolving, and with that comes a demand for new and exciting game genres. While some classic genres like first-person shooters and role-playing games remain popular, there are also emerging genres that have captured the attention of gamers worldwide. One such genre is battle royale games. These multiplayer online games pit players against each other in a fight to be the last one standing. With titles like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds dominating the market, it's no wonder that battle royale games are in high demand. Another popular genre is open-world exploration games. Players can immerse themselves in vast, interactive worlds where they have complete freedom to explore and interact with their surroundings. Games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Red Dead Redemption 2 have set new standards for open-world gameplay. Simulation games are also seeing increased popularity. Whether it's building cities in SimCity or managing virtual lives in The Sims, these immersive experiences provide players with endless possibilities and opportunities for creativity. Indie game developers have been making waves with unique and innovative game genres as well. From puzzle platformers to narrative-driven adventures, indie games offer fresh experiences that appeal to a wide range of players. With advancements in technology, virtual reality (VR) gaming has also become an exciting genre on the rise. VR allows players to fully immerse themselves in virtual environments, creating unparalleled levels of immersion and interactivity.

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Most In-Demand Skills for Game Developers

To succeed in the competitive world of game development, it is essential for developers to possess a wide range of skills. While technical proficiency is crucial, there are other qualities that can set you apart from the crowd. Here are some of the most in-demand skills for game developers: 1. Programming Languages: Proficiency in programming languages such as C++, Java, and Python is a must-have skill for any aspiring game developer. These languages form the backbone of game development and allow developers to create complex gameplay mechanics. 2. Game Design: Having a strong understanding of game design principles is vital for creating engaging and immersive gaming experiences. This includes knowledge of level design, character development, user interface design, and storytelling techniques. 3. Problem-Solving Abilities: Game development often involves overcoming complex technical challenges and finding creative solutions to problems that arise during the development process. Developers with excellent problem-solving abilities are highly sought after by companies. 4. Collaboration Skills: Game development is rarely a solitary endeavor; it requires collaboration with artists, designers, musicians, and other team members throughout the entire process. The ability to work well in a team environment and effectively communicate ideas is crucial. 5. Adaptability: The gaming industry continually evolves at a rapid pace with new technologies emerging regularly. Developers who can adapt quickly to these changes and stay up-to-date with current trends have an advantage over their peers. 6 . Creativity : In addition to technical skills , creativity plays an important role in designing unique gameplay features , characters , environments , sound effects , music etc .

Companies Hiring Game Developers

The demand for game developers has skyrocketed in recent years, and as a result, many companies are actively seeking talented individuals to join their teams. From large AAA studios to indie game development companies, the opportunities are abundant for those with the right skills and passion for creating immersive gaming experiences. One of the leading companies hiring game developers is Electronic Arts (EA), known for popular titles such as FIFA, Madden NFL, and The Sims. With multiple studios worldwide, EA offers a wide range of career paths within game development. Another major player in the industry is Ubisoft, responsible for well-known franchises like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry. As one of the largest gaming companies globally, Ubisoft offers numerous job openings across various disciplines in both programming and design. Smaller independent studios like Supergiant Games have also made their mark on the industry by developing critically acclaimed titles such as Bastion and Hades. These smaller teams often provide unique opportunities to work closely with passionate developers on innovative projects. In addition to traditional game development studios, tech giants like Google and Microsoft also hire game developers to work on their respective platforms. For example, Google's Stadia platform requires skilled engineers proficient in cloud-based gaming technologies. Start-ups focused on emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) are also actively recruiting game developers who can push boundaries in these exciting fields. Companies like Oculus VR (a subsidiary of Facebook) offer enticing opportunities to shape the future of immersive gameplay experiences. With advancements in mobile gaming technology rapidly growing over time, mobile app development companies such as King (creators of Candy Crush Saga) continue expanding their teams with talented individuals who specialize in creating captivating mobile games. These examples represent just a fraction of the many companies currently hiring game developers across different sectors within the industry. Whether you're interested in working on blockbuster console games or pioneering new frontiers in emerging technologies, there's no shortage of opportunities for skilled game developers to make their mark in the gaming industry.

Salary Data for Game Developers

When it comes to pursuing a career in game development, one of the most common questions that arises is about the salary prospects. While salaries can vary depending on factors such as experience, location, and company size, game developers generally enjoy competitive compensation packages. According to recent data from various sources, including Glassdoor and Payscale, the average annual salary for game developers ranges from around $60,000 to over $100,000. However, it's important to note that these figures can be influenced by several factors. Experience plays a significant role in determining salary levels within the game development industry. Entry-level positions may have lower starting salaries but provide opportunities for growth and advancement as skills are developed. As developers gain more experience and expertise in their field, they can command higher salaries. Location is another factor that affects salary potential. Game development hubs such as California (particularly Los Angeles and San Francisco), Seattle, Austin, and Montreal tend to offer higher wages due to the high demand for skilled professionals in these areas. Company size also impacts salary ranges. Larger companies often have bigger budgets allocated towards employee compensation compared to smaller indie studios or startups. Additionally, larger companies may offer additional perks such as bonuses or stock options. It's worth mentioning that specializing in specific areas of game development can also lead to higher earning potential. For example, roles like senior programmers or technical directors often come with higher pay scales than entry-level positions.

Conclusion

Game development is an area of growing and continuing demand, with technological advances such as virtual reality and augmented reality creating more opportunities for those with the right skills to showcase their talent. Action/adventure, role-playing, shooter, and strategy games are the most popular genres currently in existence, with attractive remuneration packages offered by a wide range of organizations - from traditional gaming companies to education and healthcare institutions. Game developers need specific technical expertise (including programming languages like C++ and Java), problem-solving skills, creative flair, teamwork abilities, and strong communication capabilities to be successful in this field.

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michaelarkwright · 2 years ago

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saw this and went "yeah. That's ryoga kamishiro from hit anime yugioh zexal"

#yugioh #zexal #ryoga kamishiro #quattro #thomas arclight #“he wouldn't!!” he is FOURTEEN i know how he would act.#RYOGA VBUCKS REALNESS #yuma saw his discord activity and asked him if he was fr playing fortnite #he denied it by going offline and never turning on his activity ever again

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years ago

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More than just a game

Warnings: dark elements including noncon and rape, oral, fingering, doxxing, stalking, and other explicit content.

This is dark!Jake Jensen and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You find a new gaming buddy but he sees you as more than that.

Note: So this is my first Jake Jensen fic and it was lots of fun so let me know what you think and hope you enjoy. :D

Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

Special shout-out to @navybrat817 for helping me with this idea

After too many nights scrolling through subreddits and searching for something to keep you distracted, you decided to bite the hook. Several other redditors agreed to hop on Minecraft and it had been a while since you logged in. You missed the almost relaxing ritual of mining and building.

You joined the chat, quick to hit the little microphone emblem as you listened to the voices in your headset. You learned long ago to keep your mic muted on the servers, especially with strangers. The last time you dared to speak up as a woman in a game chat, your DMs had become so overwhelmed you deleted and started a new account on Discord and changed your ID on Steam.

You were all given your tasks as players called out coordinates and you kept to chopping up the side of a mountain. You mostly worked alone, chatting through text instead of voice chat. As you placed a crafting table in your little mine, another player, JJ-Smooth, popped up and dropped some iron for you.

He stayed close but you didn’t mind. A lot of players tried to work together the deeper they got and you were used to it. As you uncovered some lava, he dumped water before you could get burned and helped you hack up the obsidian.

He thanked you on the voice chat but you knew any courtesy in return would earn you the attention of the entire server. So you dropped some gold for him and went on your way.

“I hear a zombie,” he warned.

You turned to hack up the undead before it could get you, only to be shot by a skeleton hidden on the next level. Another appeared and you died before you could hide, the bony villain killed by your ally as you watched your possession scatter over the death screen.

“Hey, I got your stuff,” he said as you loaded back up, “I’ll find you.”

You typed quickly in the chat, ‘sorry, mic busted, give me your coordinates and I’ll come to you.’

You waited as ‘JJ-Smooth is typing…’ appeared at the bottom and finally he sent the numbers. You hopped over the blocky hills and through the forests until you found the mine again. He was just outside and handed over all your tools and ration. He headed back into the mine and you followed him. This time, you began your own path in the opposite direction.

Before you knew it, you’d lost track of time. You sat back as you realised it was only you and JJ on the server. The silence should have tipped you off earlier. He was the host and you felt super awkward for staying so long. You typed that you were logging off for the night and thanked him.

You hit the keyboard with your knuckle and yawned as you opened the screen,

“God, it’s late,” you muttered.

“Hello?” he said.

Your eyes rounded as you looked at the mic symbol and the lack of red line made you cringe. You’d hit an extra button without noticing.

“Um, hi, sorry, I just--”

“Mic busted, huh?” he asked.

“No, I--” you didn’t know what to say, “anyways, I should--”

“So, you’re a chick? Is that why you mute?”

“Uh, well, it’s just… easier, sorry, I--” even if you weren’t trying to hide from gamer dudes, you weren’t the best at conversation.

“A gamer girl, nice,” he said and you sighed, “sorry, that sounded weird, didn’t it?”

“Mhmm,” you touched your bottom lip as you cupped your chin, “it’s late, I have to work tomorrow.”

“You comin’ back?” he asked, almost hopeful.

“I don’t know--”

“I won’t tell anyone,” he said abruptly, “promise, lips sealed.”

“I really don’t know if I can do this too much, I usually work early mornings so… yeah,” you said.

“I get it but you know you’re always welcome, hope you don’t mind if I send you an invite now and then. No pressure,” he offered.

“Uh, sure,” you shrugged, “okay, yeah, good night.”

You left the chat quickly and pulled off your headset. Shit.

‘I’m Jake by the way,’ a pm popped up, ‘gg.’

You typed back, ‘gg, it was fun’ and quickly logged out. You sat back and rubbed your eyes. Well, he didn’t seem like a total creep, maybe just a bit awkward but so were you. You shut down for the night and stretched out as you switched off the lamp. You were going to pay for your session in the morning.

🎮

A few nights later you got an invite to the server. You debated it but as it was Friday, you decided to make good use of the PC you’d saved up forever to build. You spawned in the middle of nowhere and built a bed before you found the half-finished settlement. You joined the chat but you must have been early as you were the only one there.

You headed back to the same mine, some work done since the first night, and laid your torches as you ventured into the depths. You jumped in your seat as a voice broke your peace.

“I don’t think anyone else is gonna join,” JJ-Smooth, or Jensen said, “you think maybe you’ll unmute?”

You stopped your mining and stared at the screen. You hovered over the mic button and re-read his name, he was the only other one there. You clicked and gave a strained smile to the screen.

“So, um, what’s the goal tonight?” you asked.

“Get some materials and go back to the settlement, keep building, oh, maybe we could try a portal, you ever gone to the nether?” he said but before you could reply he kept on, “shit, I shouldn’t assume, you seem like an experienced player.”

“Yeah, a few times, but I’m more a casual miner,” you went back to harvesting stone and ore.

“Ah,” he said, and it was silent for a moment, “so, you work again in the morning?”

“Not tomorrow,” you said as you focused on the game, “daycare isn’t open on the weekends.”

“A daycare, huh? That sounds fun, I love kids… not in a weird way but you know, I… urgh, I have a niece,” he said with a nervous chuckle, “nah, that’s cool though, sounds more fun than my gig.”

“Oh?” you turned and kept your axe moving.

“IT. You know, some people would be like ‘hey Jensen, why do you spend all your free time staring at a screen when that’s what you do at work?’” he scoffed, “well, who says I’m not mining there too.”

You wrinkled your forehead and gave a small laugh. He was rambling and it was kinda odd. You were happy for once not to be the strange one.

“But anyway,” he said, “I found lots of diamond over here. If we get some lapis lazuli we can build an enchanting table and get some sick armour.”

“Awesome,” you pressed your fingertips to your lip as you leaned on your elbow, “should try to head back before dark…”

“Hard to tell down here. How about you mine and I’ll keep an eye out for monsters?” he offered.

“Sure,” you agreed as he came onto your screen, “that works.”

🎮

Another week went by and you ventured back into the server a few times but not for very long as late nights did not mix with young children. The next weekend, you joined again on Saturday night and like the last few times it was just you and Jensen. You wondered why no one else was joining when the subreddit was so popular but you didn’t worry about it for long.

You mostly played in silence, Jensen did most of the talking and it was never about anything more than the game or his niece’s last soccer game. That night when you left the game, he kept typing on Discord.

‘I like playing with you,’ his message blipped up.

‘Same, thx.’

‘Really, you’re awesome.’

‘Thx :) Tired, gotta sleep.’

‘Sweet dreams.’

‘Night.’

You changed your status to offline and dragged yourself to bed. You opened your phone as you laid in the dark and went to the subreddit, you scrolled through the builds and screenshots of other people’s catastrophes.

You came to Jensen’s last invite post from that night but all the comments complained that the world code was incorrect. Hmm, you should tell him next time.

You blackened your cell and plopped it on your night table. You rolled over and buried your face in the pillow, the light still etched into your vision. You fell asleep quickly and woke the next day to another invite from Jensen.

‘How about some Fortnite? If you’re into it?’

‘Srry, can’t, my mom’s expecting me for lunch.’

‘2 bad, maybe later.’

‘Maybe’.

You got ready to go see your mother for your usual Sunday afternoon visit and it went by like any other. When she asked you what you’d been up to, you didn’t mention the gaming, she was never a fan of it. When you got back home, Jensen was messaging you again. You didn’t open the notification and settled in to catch up on some streaming before another week of work.

Monday hit you like a train and you were glad you hadn’t spent the night mining again. If you had, you doubted you’d even be able to open your eyes. You got to the daycare centre and welcomed in the kids. You got them set up for the morning snack then cleaned up as Sandy took them over to the reading circle.

You wiped the tables and then did some painting before you went out for some play time in the yard. As you watched several of the children on the swings, you glanced around. There was a man across the street. You squinted through the chain link as he seemed to be watching but assured yourself it was nothing as he quickly headed for the corner and disappeared.

Inside, the kids were due for quiet time, some napped and those who didn’t, stared at the ceiling and yawned. You could have joined them but knew that wouldn’t be acceptable. The end of the day came and you helped the kids pack up their paintings and their sweaters. You waited in the yard with them as the parents showed up and handed them off one by one.

You waved to Danika as she clung to her mother and your eye was once more drawn beyond the chain link. The same faded grey jacket, the same glasses, and the hat with the frayed brim. It was a better look at the man. Was he looking at you? Why on earth was he hanging around outside a daycare?

“Sandy,” you turned and lowered your voice as she neared, “see that man?”

She peeked over and shrugged, “which one? The guy crossing the street?”

You looked up again and like before, he was walking away casually as if he hadn’t just been staring through the fence. You shook your head and huffed. “Sorry, never mind.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” she waved her fingers, “come on, let’s clean up.”

With the kids all sorted out, you went back in and tidied up the last of their mess. You and Sandy were friendly but like with any, you weren’t very talkative. You never really knew what to say but you were never unkind.

You pulled on your jacket and checked your purse for your phone and wallet. You checked the time and turned off the lights. You bid Sandy goodbye as she headed for her SUV and you took your usual route down the sidewalk towards your bus stop.

You stopped short as the man was there. You were paranoid, he must just be waiting for the same route. You approached and he turned to watch you as you sat on the bench. He smiled and the dread sank deep in your chest.

His rectangular glasses gave light to his blue eyes and a goatee trimmed his jaw. He was tall and well-built, you could tell even under his comic book tee. He was going to talk to you, another weirdo in the city.

“Hey,” his voice was chillingly familiar, “how was your day?”

You stared at him and blinked cluelessly. You looked around, it was only the two of you. You opened your mouth but you had to be wrong. He said your name and you winced.

“Jensen?” you breathed as you stood and squeezed the strap of your bag, “why? How--?”

“You weren’t answering me, I was worried,” he said, “just making sure you’re okay.”

“What the-- I don’t understand how--” He stepped closer and you backed up against the bench. “Don’t, I’ll scream.”

“Scream? Why? I’m just-- You know me, it’s me, Jensen.”

“You doxxed me?” you snapped, “what the hell?”

“No, I didn’t-- I’m just checking on you--”

“I don’t know you,” you said as your heart began to race, “so please, leave me alone,” you edged away from him, “and don’t message me again.”

You sprinted across the street and as you came up on the curb, you looked back at him. He watched you but didn’t follow. You could tell from there he wasn’t happy but the brim of his cap shadowed most of his face so you couldn’t guess if it was hurt or anger. You quickly spun away and continued down the next street to the nearest stop.

You couldn’t believe he’d just shown up like that. You couldn’t believe he would think that was okay. You couldn’t believe he’d think that much about you.

🎮

You blocked Jensen on Discord and left his world on Minecraft. That night you were shaky and nervous, afraid that he would show up at your apartment. Did he know where you lived? He must if he could figure out where you worked.

You didn’t open Steam that night. You paced your small apartment, jumping at every noise. Sleep didn’t come easily but in shallow spurts that left you even more tired. You watched over your shoulder as you walked to your stop and boarded with one eye on the door.

Work was little better as you found yourself distracted in the room full of toddlers. Sandy asked if you were okay as you kneaded play-do violently. You shook yourself out of your paranoia and assured her you were only short on sleep, not a complete lie.

You took out your phone when you stepped out for a small break. Your mom had called but you would have to get back to her when you had two hours to waste. There was another notification, that one from Discord, a friend request from JJ-NoRematch. It wasn’t hard to guess who it was and you declined it right away.

There were several others from Jensen, too. He followed your Insta, blocked; he followed your mostly empty twitter, blocked; and he even commented on your LinkedIn like a weird. You closed your phone and took a breath before you headed back into the kids, their voices rising in their excitement to go outside.

In the yard, you had another look around, expecting to see him there on the other side of the fence. You were slightly relieved when he wasn’t but still on edge. You joined a game of tag then watched several of the kids line up for the slide. You lost yourself in your job as you told yourself he must have gotten the hint, at least not to bother you irl.

Just like the day before, and every day, you left work and headed for your stop. He wasn’t there either and you sat down and phoned your mom, hanging up as the bus pulled up with a promise to call her again when you were home. At home, you felt almost normal again and checked your notifications; no more follows, no more requests, nothing.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed in a similar fashion. Each saw your anxieties less than the day before. You even resolved to open Steam and start a new world for yourself. You spent hours mining and almost fell asleep in your chair. When you nearly tipped over, you decided it was time for bed.

You slept better than you had all week and woke up before noon. You wanted to log right back on but you had life to deal with; groceries, cleaning, and of course, making that call to your mother you’d delayed the night before. After all that, you felt accomplished and you decided to treat yourself to take out, a rare divulgence.

You called the local Chinese eatery and waited eagerly for your feast as you turned on a new episode of your current binge. You played on your phone until the battery was low and had enough juice to buzz up the delivery man. You dug for your wallet as you went to the door and unlocked it without looking up.

“How much--” you asked as you opened the door.

Your eyes met a familiar pair, two blue gems behind a pair of narrow glasses. Jensen wore the same cap and held the paper bag of take-out with a smile. You grabbed the door and tried to swing it shut but he was too quick as he slapped a large hand against the peeling paint.

“It’s on me,” he said, “I love spare ribs.”

“What the--” you gasped as you pushed on the door helplessly, “please go away.”

“You’re not answering me,” he said as he stepped closer and forced you back as his body brushed against yours, “you blocked me and I can’t even get a hey, Jensen, how are you?”

“I don’t want you here,” you tried to shove him and he shouldered you away easily, “get out!”

He slammed the door and you flinched. He put the bag down on the corner table and reached back to twist the lock without a look. His eyes roved around your entryway and further into your apartment. He smiled as they stilled and focused on you.

“This place is cute… like you,” he said and you heard a slight hesitation in his voice.

You swallowed and backed away from him. You spun on your heel and ran for your couch. You reached over the back to your phone and unlocked it as the battery icon flashed. You had just enough juice to make the call. You dialed as you turned back to him.

“I’m calling the police so you b-better l-leave,” you warned as your voice and hands shook, “I me--”

He was quick and before you could pull away, he swiped your cell out of your hand. He scoffed and tossed it across the room. It hit the wall and landed screen down on the hardwood. You bit down and pressed yourself to the couch. You stared at him and kicked yourself forward as you tried to slip past him. He caught you and wrestled you back into the front room.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked calmly as you struggled in his grasp, “I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

“N-no, you’re-- you-- let me go,” you stammered as he angled you around the couch. He pushed you down so you bounced on the cushion. You tried to push yourself up and he pointed his finger in your face and wagged it.

“No, you stay,” he growled and wiped his other hand on his jeans. He was nervous, even if he was angry.

“Please, why-- what do you want?” you grasped the cushion and hovered at the edge of the couch.

He sighed and sat in the chair. He took his hat off and set it on the table as he ran his fingers through his short hair.

“Good question,” he said as his jaw squared and his eyes turned to pinpoints, “better one, why did you block me?”

“Are you serious? You-- you--” you struggled to get your words out, your voice even more splintered by your fear, “you doxxed me, you came to-- to my work-- and…”

“I thought we were getting along. I thought you liked me,” he said with a frown, “I really did, you sure acted like it and-- I only wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“But why wouldn’t I be? I--” you shivered and crossed your arms as you withered beneath his gaze, “Jensen, this was only supposed to be online.”

He scoffed and stomped his boot on the floor. He shook his head as he looked to the ceiling and his anger bulged along his temple. He tilted his head and looked at you again.

“You know, for years, I have been a nice guy, I am a nice guy,” he pushed his shoulders to his ears as he threw his hand out, “I’m so patient and caring and you girls, you don’t even give me a second look.”

“Jensen--”

“No, really, I mean look at you, you’re no supermodel and yet it’s the same thing, ‘let’s just be friends’,” he spat, “but I watch guys all the time treat women like shit and they don’t have any trouble at all, they got them hanging off of them and I’m a creep for giving them a compliment or opening the door--”

“I don’t… know you,” you eked out, “you have to understand--”

“I don’t understand,” he stood abruptly, “I’m done trying to understand.”

He pulled his jacket open and slid it down his arms. You watched him sling it over the chair and as he turned back to you, you stood. He caught your shoulders and held you in place. His strength was plain in his grip as he squeezed then slowly moved his hands to cradle your face.

“I just wanna be nice,” he said as he leaned in. You tried to pull away but he moved a hand around the back of your head and forced your lips against his. He poked his tongue inside your mouth roughly as you tried to shove him away. Finally, he parted, his hands still firmly around your head, “wasn’t that nice?”

“Please,” you begged as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip.

His eyes searched your face as you stared back at him in terror. He sighed and dropped his hands back to your shoulders. He pushed you down to the sofa harshly and backed away.

“Fine, I won’t be nice,” he snarled as he took his glasses off and folded them carefully. He put them on the table beside his cap and twined his fingers together, loudly cracking his knuckles.

You blinked at him as your eyes grew glossy. You brought your legs up under you and pressed yourself to the back of the couch. You grasped the upholstery and turned as you launched yourself over to the other side. You stumbled as you landed on your feet and ran for the door.

You were yanked back as he snaked his arms around you and took you off your feet. You kicked out and screamed but it was cut off by his palm as he kept one arm around your middle. You scratched at his hand as he dragged you back to the couch. He pushed you face down onto the cushions and planted his knee in the middle of your back, slipping his hand away as he put enough weight on you to keep your voice suffocated.

“Listen, I know I look like some IT nerd but I’m a lot more than that, now don’t make me hurt you,” he played with your hair as he smiled down at you, “you try that again and I will shut you up and if someone hears you, I can take care of them too.”

You sniffed as tears pricked in your eyes and nodded frantically as it felt as if he would snap your spine. He pushed off of you and you stayed as you were, paralysed with fear. He sat and unlaced his boots one at a time. He looked up as he set them neatly beside the foot of the chair and he bent to catch your eye.

“Well?” he pointed at you and traced the line of your body in the air, “let’s go.”

You stared at him dumbly and he stood to pull his tee over his head. His torso was sculpted perfectly and his chest trimmed with hair that trailed all the way down to his pants. He stepped forward and tugged at the back of your shirt.

“You want me to do it for you, baby?” he purred, “I can help you.”

You swatted him away and sat up. You bent your legs to your chest and hugged them. “Please, I’m scared, just leave me alone--”

His hand rested on his belt and exhaled again. His fingers moved swiftly to unloop the striped belt and unbutton his jeans. He pushed them down, nearly tripping as he stepped out of them. He stood in his boxers, tented with his impatient excitement, and gripped his hips.

“It’s okay, baby, I know you’re shy, I am too,” he neared and you winced as he grabbed your wrist. He tugged on your arm and you resisted until he bent your hand back painfully and you cried out. He tickled your jaw as he looked you in the eye and tutted, “it doesn’t have to be like this, alright?”

You went limp and let him pull your arms apart. Your legs slipped down and your feet dangled above the floor. He got to his knees and pushed between yours. He slowly rolled up the hem of your shirt and bent to kiss your stomach as he bared the flesh. You trembled as he forced your arms up and swooped the fabric over your head. It fluttered through the air and to the floor as he cupped your tits through your bright pink bra.

“Is this so bad?” he asked as he nuzzled your chest and pushed your tits up.

He glided the straps down your arm and slid your bra lower so that you popped out. He nibbled at your flesh and traced your nipples with his tongue. You sat rigid and let him explore your body, too terrified to move a muscle. He reached around you and struggled with the hooks, frustrated he snapped the clasps and the band came free.

He continued to play with your chest, his fingers crawling up and down your stomach and sides. There was a genuine curiosity to his touch and it sent a chill through you. His fingertips pressed to the top of your pants and he pulled at them as his lips travelled down to your hip.

He tugged on your pants and jerked your entire body. He tore them lower as he pushed you up and you lifted yourself to let him peel away the layer. He added them to the floor and toyed with the elastic of your panties. The little bow in the front drew his attention as he pushed your legs wider and ran his nose along the cotton.

He hummed and rubbed his fingers down your crotch, pushing the fabric to your folds as he teased you through them. You inhaled sharply at the tingle it inspired and he pressed firmer against you, flicking his fingers along your bud as he noticed how it made you squirm.

He gently pulled aside the cotton and you felt his hot breath against you. You pushed on his head before he could delve into you. “Please, don’t--”

“Shhhh,” he threw your hand away from his head and bent over you, “just relax.”

He dragged his tongue along your cunt and lingered around your clit. You clenched as it sent a thrill through you and he moved his lips against you, suckling at you bud as your breaths grew raspy. You pushed yourself against the back of the couch and dug your nails into the cushion.

He slid a finger along your cunt and circled your entrance. He rubbed up and down as he kept his tongue swirling over your clit and you swallowed back as gasp as he poked inside. He felt around and added another finger, stretching you as he carefully pushed them in and out of you in time with his mouth.

He lapped you up and you closed your eyes, desperate to resist the coil winding within you. Your legs tensed against the couch and you tilted your pelvis without thinking. He sped up, the noise of his mouth and your slickness filled the silence. You let out a puff and moaned as you slapped the couch. The waves rolled over your flesh and you came into his mouth with a pathetic mewl.

He stilled his fingers as he lazily teased you with his tongue. He pulled his fingers out and sat back, the heat between your legs cooling in his absence as he licked up your juices. He watched you as he sucked his fingers and stood. Your head lolled and you edged forward on the couch. You tried to stand but he caught you and flung you back.

“We’re not done, baby,” he winked at you as he grasped the top of his boxers, “go on, lay down.”

You murmured your refusal and once more tried to get up. You slipped onto the floor and shakily crawled away as he dropped his boxers to his ankle. He grabbed you before you could get around the side and lifted you easily. He turned you and shoved you down onto your back as he lifted a leg over you.

He straddled you and again his hands roved over your body. You smacked at his fingers weakly but he easily ignored you. He kept one hand moving along your curves as he stroked himself with the other. He groaned and shook as he stroked his dick. Your eyes followed his hand and you gulped, he was thick.

He moved his knees back and pushed them up beneath your thighs as he kept a hand planted on your chest. He ripped your panties down your legs and untangled them from your feet.

He held you down as he ran his tip along your cunt, wetting himself with your coerced arousal. You groaned and grabbed the arm of the couch above you. You tried to pull away from him.

He pushed against your entrance and you looked at him in shock. You couldn’t stop him. His eyes were set between your legs as he inhaled and slowly eased into you. He gasped as he got his tip inside you and his muscles tensed. He bit his lip as he dove further in and you gasped as he filled you inch by inch.

“Shitttt,” he moaned as he reached his limit and you whined at how full you were, “oh, baby.”

His hand slid from your chest and he gripped your hips as he pulled back and thrust. You exclaimed and he did it again, slowly as he watched himself impale you over and over. You curled your fingers against the couch arm and your feet arch as you pressed your thighs around him. He lifted your pelvis high as he angled his dick even deeper.

“You feel so good,” he rasped, “oh, baby, you’re so good. Ahh-hh-hh,” his voice fizzled as your walls clenched him and you closed your eyes as you felt the heat building.

He moved his hand along your thigh and stretched it over your pelvis, pushing his thumb to your clit as he kept his pace. He purred as you writhed helplessly against him and you panted through the rising ecstasy.

“Please, please, please…” you chanted, unsure if you were begging him to stop or for more.

He moaned as he sped up and you sucked your lip under your teeth as you neared your peak. You quivered as your orgasm crashed into you and you let out a strangled cry. He snarled and planted his hands beside your head as he leaned over you, his hot breath tickled your face as he pounded into you.

Your legs bent around him as his pelvis rubbed against you and the friction drove you to another climax. You held onto the arm of the couch as he fucked your harder and harder. He kissed you and nibbled at your lip as he groaned and hooked an arm under to hold you close.

“You’re gonna make me cum, baby,” he said against your cheek and you turned your head away from, “ah, here I--”

He spasmed and slammed into you. He took several long thrusts and stilled. He grunted and drew heavy breaths as he rested his weight over you. He grabbed your head and turned your head up as he pressed his forehead to yours. You kept your eyes closed as the flames slowly dwindled.

“Was that so bad?” he stroked your cheek and trailed his finger down to poke between your lips, “No, it’s what you wanted, isn’t it, baby?” he wiggled his hips and you hissed, “yeah, you want me.”

#jake jensen #dark jake jensen #dark!jake jensen #jake jensen x reader #the losers #fic #dark!fic #dark fic #one shot

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feralfeed · 5 years ago

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JULY UPDATE - Premium Currency, Season Passes, and ANOTHER Premium Shop... oh god why

Hello all, this is an overall rundown and analysis of the July update, and first impressions of it’s features. Please note, that I’m going to be a tad bit hypercritical of the whole thing- I’ll be honest about the pros and cons, because I genuinely want to see this game become amazing. There will be a TL;DR at the bottom - I encourage you to read that if nothing else, because I want to make an important point there.

Season Passes

Okay, this feature struck me as a bit... strange. When I first saw the name, I immediately thought of the way Fortnite and Epic Games make money, which didn’t exactly leave a good taste in my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is a free feature... and once again disappointed to see the premium version.

Rundown:

By completing tasks assigned to the player in a challenge board, you unlock points to earn a wide variety of prizes, from items, to likes, to avatars, and even customization options for said avatar. However, the bulk of these items are under a 900 star fragment paywall, which translates to about $10.

My Breakdown:

Not gonna lie, this ain’t great. It does throw some new items at the players, which is nice and all, but honestly, there really isn’t much incentive to actually complete the challenges if you aren’t buying the premium pass. How “good” the items you can earn for free strongly remind me of how “good” the nonmember items back in Animal Jam were. And they are RARE - when you get to later in the list, there are very few items marked as “free”. Wildworks may as well have just dropped the concept of a premium pass, and just made the entire season pass cost money. Plus, while the update claims that you can earn points for the challenges “just by playing the game”, this really isn’t true. Most of them are such oddly specific tasks, I would need to go out of my way to complete nearly every single one of them. And the ones that are “normal gameplay” challenges have OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH numbers. For example, crafting 15 common clothing items. I would need to waste a LOT of materials to do that, since most players pretty carefully plan which items to craft for which looks.

Star Fragments and the Astral Shop

I’m not gonna pretend that this wasn’t coming. Most free games require premium currency. But while the game is still in beta?

Rundown:

Fer.al’s new premium currency. It appears that buying sanctuaries and avatars with straight money was more of a placeholder - the royal boutique now serves the exclusive role of selling star fragments, which you will now spend at the astral shop. On average, 1 star fragment costs anywhere from 1.25 cents - 1.1 cents, depending upon which bundle you buy. This means that a 300 star fragment sanctuary in the astral shop costs about $3.53.

My Breakdown:

I don’t really have too much to say about this, to be honest. I’ve expressed my fears about monetizing an unfinished game in previous posts. After the dragon, there was no going back.

The Notification Tab

A nifty new tool that notifies you on challenge progress, and your friends getting on and offline. There may be other things it notifies you of as well that I haven’t seen yet. Overall, a useful new feature.

Selfie Camera

Another feature on the better side of things. Although, it is a little mundane, it does one-up just taking a screenshot - you have the ability to zoom in and out, and turn nametags on and off. It creates a “gallery” folder on your computer that opens with an in-game button.

Undying

You can also now undye your items. Someone will need this after a regretful decision, I’m sure.

TL;DR and Final Concerns

The reason that I took such a critical tone in this post is that Fer.al, in my opinion, is heading down a negative path. Currently, the game has no real substance - which is fine in itself, given that it’s a work in progress. However, they’re already introducing a LOT of paid content, and not only paywalls, but do-hours-of-pointless-miscellaneous-tasks-walls. In a way, the game is becoming pay-to-win. So long as “winning” the game is having the best items and the best avatar, winning is no longer free. Fer.al is such a beautiful game, and beautiful concept, and I hate to see it turning out this way. Wildworks needs to give the game more substance- more goals- more reward- more story- SOMETHING, before they start to introduce such steep in-game purchases. They’re going after a teen/adult audience, and most of us can’t dish out money to play dress up anymore.

#fer.al #jamblr #news #rant #my content #animal jam #everyone in city fera is doing trades specifically to complete challenges #its sad #ferablr

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i-cant-sing · 4 years ago

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Do you play games and if you do ,do you think you will write yanderes stories about them ? (Also hope your doing well , what games do u play ? I play Undertale , bendy and the ink machine ?) 🤩

Man those sound like hard-core PC games. I'm going to disappoint you because of how basic I am lol. I like GTA V, COD, Assassin's Creed. I'm more of a watcher than a player, I mean when RDR2 came out, I just watched the entire gameplay on YouTube. Oh and my friends got me into PUBG too, although I must confess, I'm a terrible player. I tried to play fortnite and fifa (great songs tho), but I couldn't. Also, I got bored of playing sims pretty fast, but that might be because I was playing offline.

Oof do u guys remember Farmville on Facebook? Man, that used to be everything back in the day. Lol I can't believe how obsessed we used to be with that game.

Also I remember this game called "Bully" came out years back, like on PS 2 time. That was a good game too. I used to yell cheat codes at my brother while he played😂😂😂

I want to know someone who has that whole PC gaming setup and watch them play like DOTA or something.

Adler is just so 😍😍😍

#anon ask #anon asks

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maddiefriendlovesbilly · 5 years ago

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Spencer x Ghost?

Spencer x Ghost

(AAAAA- it has been months since you sent this to me, and all i can say is im so sorry) Side note I have my friend @lethalbreadkills helping me with this one!

For reference: Maddie (maddiefriendlovesbilly) is green, Jimmy (lethalbreadkills) is red (((its 4:30 at the time i have joined this so im dead braincell wise sorry yall))) and Orange is stuff we decided together :3

Also this is so very chaotic im so sorry for this anon but this has been in my fuckin drafts for SO LONG and this is the only way its getting finished (its now 5 am uwu) im so sorry for all the shitposting i do its a mess. I shouldnt have been allowed here. (we finished at about 5:30 am its hell <3)

Sphost? Ghencer?? Sphoster??? I adore and despise them all equally.

We have decided that it should be BeanieGhost

Anyway I think this ship is really cute

They’re both so neurotic I can only imagine the chaos that would ensue

One of them starts a rant on some topic and the other joins the hell in

I’m an advocate of LETTING SPENCER INFO DUMP BECAUSE HE DESERVES IT OKAY

And Ghost would let this dream come true???

I would die for both of them and if Spencer told me I had to die I wouldn’t even complain, no questions I’d just be like “Aight.” I trust him that much.

(Not sure I trust Ghost’s judgment enough to do that unquestioningly; sorry Ghost)

Back on topic

I can’t imagine these guys on anything that comes close to society’s definition of a date

It’d be more like “hey you wanna come on this hunt with us?” “maybe, depends if there’ll be snacks” or like chilling in Spence’s room binging the entire star trek: original series in one sitting or “oops sorry about that level 11 entity that attached to my soul and is now wreaking havoc in your house, wanna make out later to make up for it?” “Fine but you also have to play three rounds of Call of Duty with me afterward”

They wouldn’t be romantic often but like highkey? I can see them throwing themselves into the line of fire for each other with a recklessness only they could survive

We can’t forget that Spencer is a more than 60,000-year-old overpowered demon/god/entity/thing, which, yes, could throw a slight wrench in this ship for multiple reasons, but I choose to make angst out of it instead.

Side note: Ghost is a chronic conspiracy theorist (and you can’t tell me otherwise) and every once in awhile Spencer will offhandedly say something like “Y’know I helped the Egyptians build the pyramids” and Ghost just goes fucking feral.

Look, I’m not saying Spencer IS touch-starved and most likely has issues creating and developing relationships and therefore avoids interpersonal connection, especially offline, but I AM saying he is prime material for it. (thats a lie thats exactly what shes saying don’t believe it) (I’m projecting okay dont judge me) (loser imagine projecting)

Imagine with me for a second: Why does Spencer willingly stay with a family who locks him in their basement with only minor complaining? He’s a near all-powerful entity just released into the world for Spence’s-sake - If he wanted to, there’s no telling what havoc he could wreak! So why doesn’t he? Why would someone so powerful, so terrifying, so dangerous that a group of people decided to seal him away forever stay with the first family he finds in sub-par conditions for years - especially someone who’s seen to be as high-maintenance as Spencer? Let me hit you with a theory: He’s chasing the feelings of validation, safety, and love - no matter how rarely it’s shown - that a family can provide. Being socially isolated for even a few years can do a number to a person’s psyche (I should know, I’m projecting onto this character right now), let alone thousands.

Now maybe Ghost can’t match thousands of years in isolation, but damn if he doesn’t have a few years of crippling loneliness on his record too.

I can see the two of them learning how to be vulnerable around others together, emotionally and physically; learning how to open up and how to talk through issues; and some third point, because points are better in threes.

(May I suggest that these losers are both trans but thats just me adding in my own projection lmao)

(You absolutely may)

Imagine the conversation thats just “so i have a murderer in my head thats an ass” “rip to u ig sounds like a you problem :///”

imo spence has trouble expressing emotions other than like,,, annoyance and haughtiness, its like sort of his go-to defence, so showing Ghost his emotions is a big step for him

I hear you, and i say yes good. (found this one headcanon that i kinda live by where he was uh, either autistic or adhd i dont remember but theres that too) OH yeah that would be at thing huh. Spencer: *is emotionally vulnerable @ ghost* ghost: oh shit im trusted??? Oh fuck uh.

Yeah so like…. Ghost and spence showing emotion at eachother is kind of :flushed: ghost be like: whats an emotion. Imagine having emotions fuciiing loser hhaha,,,, *laughs nervously*

Ghost is also very emotionally distant with most people so it would probably be like “what??? The fuck?? Emotions?????? You have those???”

Ghost and Spencer be like *gay*

So another idea is that maybe Spencer realizes Ghost doesnt play any games [like the uncultured SWINE he is] and decides he must [remedy] this and so he introduces him to like, nintendo first. (some bitches thought that said nintendo fortnite. Im bitches) and theyre playing like, mario kart or smash or smth and Ghost gets really [fuckin into it]

Ghost and spencer: *literally in eachothers laps playing fucking wii tennis*

Spooker: what are the- *TOAST FUCKING SLAPS A HAND ACROSS HIS MOUTH* shut up you dont wanna know what happens when its mentsonssbfdjfsd (sorry i had a stroke uwuwuwuw)

(Theyre in denial we don’t judge in this house)

They will not hesitate to play dirty either, they will straight up push each other over and vaguely flirt

Ghost is losing and straight up fucking goes “ur hot” and spencer actually dies and boom ghost is the winner. sparkle emoji Magic sparkle emoji

“I am Not a HomoSexual:™:” “Yeah, sure you aren’t” “Screw off”

Pet-names-ish: Asshole, Gaymer-Boy, casual insults, Mr. Spirit Bitch, Mistake, Loves Ghosts More Than His Boyfriend What A Fucking Loser aka Gay-ass

Pros:

They both open up a lot most likely. Gain someone to trust since they’ve sort of been through the same things (though on much different scales)

I can see soft hours of hanging in each other’s bedrooms

Spencer is a tsundere you cant tell me otherwise youre just a coward if you disagree

So is Ghost so this can only go well

Every time Ghost has to solve a case at the Acachallas Spence is just peaking out from his basement like “the fuck is this?? Hot Man??????”

Enemies to lovers 500k (Gets Hot and Steamy :flushed: NOT CLICKBAIT!!!!11!!!!! 18+!!!!!!! GAY LOVE StORY!!!!!!) Lemonz!!! Made from teh Sexiest of Wattpaders UWUWUWU YAOI Boys Love don’t like don’t read!! (this is so fucking stupid jkfnd) I hate this with a passion Q^Q. All my years of being a basic watpad fanboy have helped me to the moment i bring maddie to tears

The steam is just like,,,,, holding hands and being angy all the fuckin time the steam is literal because their anger translates into actual steam

Cons:

Their angst has nowhere to go and it just sits between them like two raccoons at a dumpster-style mexican standoff

They really start off hating each other huh. Like, I know this can still lead to healthy relationships but neither of them are very good at healthy relationships with people he hasn’t known for his Whole Life so that’s an Oh No.

They totally feed off of each other’s stupidity (but this could be seen as a pro too so take that as you will) as well as anger - im talking one-upping each other kinda shit

Its ridiculous honestly how intense it gets, like they straight up need intervention sometimes because they dont realize they can just STOP

Conclusions:

I think this would be a relationship that would that a lot of time and hard work to make work, but i think in the end it would be really super cute!! Like it would make no fuckin sense to anyone else but somehow they’d understand each other and help each other through their similar issues. Also theyre both big nerds in different ways and i think they’d have just ranting sessions back and forth over and over and it would be soft!!!!! So yeah, i think it would work, at least, i want it to :D

So. Maybe?? I feel like it could, but they’d need to work pretty hard to make it healthy and not constant fighting. Could be stupid amounts of cute and wholesome but also could be stupid amounts of oh no and pain, depending on how the two act. If they learned how to get along with each other and work past their differences it could be super cute and soft. Just a very, er, bumpy beginning. And middle. And end. (this makes me very nervous,,,,why did you mention an end) (wouldnt you like to know weather boy) (TvT) UFDUNS bumpy but soft . Agreeing with the loser gay, want this to work it’d be interesting :3

#spencer x ghost #jess writes #ishhhhh???????#venturiantale #venturiantale pie #johnny ghost #spencer acachalla #johnny toast #jimmy casket #fred spooker #let me know if you enjoyed this or not it was intense #sr #ship review #ship reviews #vt ships #vt ship reviews #vt ship review #vt sr

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ylberm2 · 4 years ago

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Star Wars Battlefront II: A New Hope. A Gamers Review.

The Star Wars Battlefront franchise established its name in the early 2000s when the games were released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. What a time to be alive that was. The prequels were in full swing, The Clone Wars were just getting started on Cartoon Network and Star Wars was at the peak of its popularity with the Millennial generation. So, when we heard the news of Star Wars Battlefront being reborn and heading for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, naturally we were all excited. But once we popped the disk into the consoles, we were left wondering “Is this the same franchise that provided us with countless hours of fun so long ago?”. Star Wars Battlefront was a disaster. It almost ruined the franchise and left a lot of gamers sour.

Star Wars Battlefront I was incomplete when it was released. There was no story/campaign mode for single player gamers. The multiplayer mode was at the very least bland, with minimal characters and game modes. The game also only featured characters and maps based off the original trilogy, which alienated fans of the prequels and sequels (yes, there are fans of those eras). EA was flat out lazy. When you pair this with EA’s reputation of under producing games to then later force players to spend more money on numerous DLC packs (downloadable content), fans lost trust in the franchise. This is evident in many of EA sports franchises such as Madden NFL, Battlefield, and most notably The Sims franchise. Although many games are using microtransactions to make more money, many of the most popular games that offer a variety of game packs are free these days, most notably Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. EA still charges $19.99 for the Star Wars Battlefront II game. Alessandro Fillari for Gamespot also mentions this in their review,

“Battlefront II plants itself in the same territory as free-to-play games, with much of its content and characters tucked away behind progression walls and randomized loot crates. This is an especially disappointing reality for a full-priced release.” Alessandro Fillari, Gamespot.com.

Although we agree here, I personally think his score of 6/10 overall is a bit harsh for the game.

This takes us to Star Wars Battlefront II. When I heard that there was a sequel coming out, I already had doubt in the second installment before it had even been released. I was wondering how is EA going to mess this one up? From my personal gaming experience, I believe Star Wars Battlefront II is a major improvement to its predecessor, but many previously devoted fans chose not to purchase the second game after the disappointment and disaster around the first installment.

CAMPAIGN MODE

Being provided with a campaign mode at all has been a huge improvement from the first installment, but let’s take a closer look at it. The Campaign mode on Star Wars Battlefront II is actually pretty good. It changes up the pace of the story by switching between third person shooting missions, where you navigate the map and take on the empire head-to-head with various weapons, to straight out dog fights in space. Flying Tie fighters and X-wing aircrafts in space is a nice touch to keep you on your toes while keeping the game fresh, because how many more first or third person shooter games do we really need?

In the story mode you play as Iden Versio, who starts as a high-ranking commander for the Galactic Empire. Since the story takes place right after the events of episode six, Return of the Jedi, the empire falls after the death of Darth Sidious and has left the empire desperate and looking to take the galaxy down with it. Iden Versio sees the error in the empire’s ways and pretty soon into the story she defects to the rebel alliance. This story setup allows players the opportunity to get to play both sides of the war, which I’m sure will be appreciated by some fans. One of my personal gripes is that the story mode itself is more on the short side.

Campaign mode score: 7.5/10

SINGLE PLAYER MODE

Single player mode is pretty standard. It consists of three modes. Battle Scenarios is a mode where you can customize games to play against the AI. You can also customize all the rules and choose which side you would like to play as. In arcade mode you can complete certain missions and objectives with special characters from both the light and dark side. There is also a pretty standard practice/tutorial mode. These are great additions to the game but can get stale and repetitive rather quickly.

Single player mode score: 6.6/10

MULTIPLAYER MODE

This is the games bread a butter. Multiplayer is vastly improved from the last installment. EA has listened to the fanbase and has diversified the game by adding the characters and maps from both the prequel and sequels to the game. One of the biggest flaws of Battlefront I was the lack of iconic characters such as Kylo Ren or Yoda being playable in the game. Battlefront II fixes that with modes like Supremacy, which is a capture the flag type game mode, that allows you to pick era of the franchise you would like to play in. Another online game mode is “Heroes and Villains”. If you ever wondered how Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Kylo Ren would turn out, or what Luke Skywalker vs Darth Maul would look like? Then this is the game mode for you. You can battle with Star Wars most popular and iconic characters using lightsabers, blasters, as well as use the force to fight your way to victory in a 4v4 battle royale.

David Jagneux describes this in his review for IGN, “What’s great about Battlefront 2 is that it lets you play with all of its toys, no questions asked. Every character class and playable hero is available from the start, and the tedious unlocking grind from launch has been completely removed. Luke, Vader, Boba Fett, Rey – you name them, they’re all here.” David Jagneux, IGN.com. David gave the game a solid score of 8.8/10.

Multiplayer mode score: 10/10

This brings me to the conclusion. Star Wars Battlefront II is a very good game, and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a great multiplayer game with a few single player modes to throw into the mix. When compared to the first Battlefront to come to the new generation of consoles it is a massive upgrade. I am usually hard on EA as I am not a fan of many of their games, but I have to admit that they have done great job capturing the essence of the original Star Wars Battlefront games for Xbox and PlayStation 2, which is something that many companies have had a hard time doing as of late, even with superior gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series One being released. You have to give props where they are due. Star Wars Battlefront II has my full recommendation and stamp of approval, it’s a fun game whether you are a huge Star Wars fan or are just looking for a diverse online/offline adventure.

Final Score: 8/10 with a great multiplayer mode!

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uniaccount · 5 years ago

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The Weeknd Experience Think Piece

With the semi-recent release of his studio album titled “After Hours”, singer, The Weeknd has brought to us a virtual concert inspired by the album, “The Weeknd Experience”. The twenty-minute virtual concert premiered live on TikTok on August the 7th, garnered two million total viewers and raised $350,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative. Through the virtual concert, the singer invites us to see the world through his eyes, Vegas lights, fast cars, and… well... frog licking. As we’ve seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrities and performers have found new, online ways to entertain crowds. Most of which have been through telematic performances utilising various tools such as ‘Zoom’. However, The Weeknd Experience has brought something new to the table. Fans had to tune into the live stream to engage with the concert in real-time and were greeted with incredible imagery, psychedelic visuals, and an avatar of the singer himself. This cross-reality experience was the first-ever for the TikTok app and it worked out quite well.

As music over time has become less and less tied to place, we no longer have to go to a concert or a club to experience it. As long as we have access to the internet, music is at our fingertips (or our ear-tips). The Weeknd Experience made an effort in bringing a concert experience to us, as we’ve been stuck at home throughout ongoing lockdowns. The avatar of the singer was propped up on a stage and fans were animated avatars placed in a virtual concert pit. In reality, we can think of these avatars in the crowd as stand-ins for people all around the world, connected through the engagement in the performance.

The Weeknd Experience was also a great way for the musician to tease his then-upcoming song (which was released on August 28th) “Over Now” in collaboration with Calvin Harris. Fans were excited to hear something new from him and perpetuated the hype through the live chat. One of the key aspects of the virtual concert was the digital participation that fans had easy access to. By giving them a choice via polls, users had some control over how the concert was going to play out. For example, one of the first things fans got to vote on was whether the singer should “lick the frog” on screen, as he does in his music video “Heartless”. This strange moment in the music video sparked tremendous engagement with fans on social media and had become a running joke within the fanbase so by integrating it into the experience, the singer brought more attention to it in a humorous way. As expected, the majority of fans commented ‘yes’ in the chat after a brief pause, and the avatar proceeded to lick the frog.

It was also wonderful and at times humorous to see people's reactive comments and usernames featured throughout the set of the experience. This further established the connection the Canadian singer has with his fans.

The Weeknd Experience further integrated user-generated content by having his background dancer avatars do the blinding lights challenge, which was a dance made by users on TikTok to his hit song “Blinding Lights” soon after its release. Similarly, the virtual concert featured another artist, Doja Cat, which The Weeknd collaborated on a remix of his song “In Your Eyes” with. Doja Cat had her own avatar, dressed in a cat costume AKA her alter ego, and did the dance which people made up for her song “Say So” over on TikTok as well. This acknowledgement and interactivity are important to fans, as it makes them feel like they’re a part of something, instead of passive consumers. All of these aspects, like the odd frog licking scene, the humorous audience comments displayed in the virtual set, and the TikTok dances aid in what Henry Jenkins calls the ‘spreadability’ of content.

From the live chat, as well as tweets from fans on Twitter, I was able to gather varying opinions on The Weeknd Experience from viewers. While the feedback was mostly positive, with fans Tweeting about the incredible visuals, some were displeased and thought the experience was weird and underwhelming. Some were also comparing The Weeknd's virtual performance on TikTok to rapper Travis Scott's Fortnite virtual concert.

Much of the negative feedback I assume, might have been from the sheer fact that virtual reality is something new to many individuals. Many of us aren’t used to switching our lives to an online existence, therefore something new and different translates into something strange. Though the idolisation of avatars isn’t something that has never been heard of or done before. Posthumanism has been prevalent in the entertainment industry for quite some time now, specifically in non-western countries such as Japan, where Vocaloid and Vocaloid concerts are the norms. Though I do see how some might be concerned with the inauthenticity of it all. However, it’s important to keep in mind that The Weeknd Experience wasn’t held to replace his real-life concerts altogether, the singer himself even Tweeted recently that he missed performing.

It was to give fans something to occupy themselves within the meantime. Although it would have been great to hear The Weeknd sing live as the virtual concert took place, the whole focus of it was primarily on the visuals. The whole thing was a visually stimulating piece of artwork that one gets lost in. Nicholas Cook makes the point that certain subcultural genres such as vaporware and vocaloids have ceased to exist in the non-digital, offline world. The same could be said for The Weeknd experience. There is something about this whole TikTok concert experience that would be difficult, if not impossible to replicate in the real world. With the power of online tools, fans were able to see the singer perform up close, from different angles, and see him drive his sports car through electro light tunnels all while listening to their favourite blood-pumping songs.

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clubmudkip · 5 years ago

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The final moments of Mixer - What happens at the end of all things?

There weren’t a lot of people online for Mixer’s final moments, and I feel like this should be documented somewhere. So here it is: what it was like to watch interactive livestreaming platform Mixer exhale its very last breath.

It was announced that Mixer would be shut down on July 22nd, 2020. So hundreds of users gathered to watch the few final streams. In the minutes leading up to 12:00 midnight PST, users watched a purple and orange confetti graphic fall from the banner at the top of the site, covering streams and chats in small circles. A celebration of the end, we waited for the clock to roll over. What does the End look like? What happens when a website ceases to exist? We all wanted to find out.

For the final hours I watched Mixer user Magiccake62 (now on Twitch under the same name!) stream her usual creative art stream; on this night she chose to make clay figures to celebrate the release of indie game Ooblets. From her hands sprang small birds, mushrooms, and frogs; all collectible creatures from the game. Finally she said, “What are they gonna do, BAN me?” and streamed a movie from her childhood. Fortunately for Maggiccake62, no copyright strikes were received, and she was able to continue until the movie’s end.

Midnight came, and then went. And it was uneventful. We were all still here. Streams were still running. I was confused, so I did what every person born into the Age of the Internet would do. I googled it. I found one single source. (https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/mixer-shutdown-reportedly-set-for-july-23-after-marketing-error) Gaming news website DotEsports was the only reporter of... a marketing error? Despite all official sources listing the 22nd as the true shutdown time, DotEsports insists the true shutdown to be 11am PST on the 23rd. Honestly, this is so on brand for Mixer, you wonderful garbage website.

So we laughed and shrugged, some of us kept streaming, but most of us went to bed.

I needed to see the End. What does it feel like when our provider provides no more? Where do you go when you are kicked out of your home? How often does a community simply cease to exist?

I set my alarm early. I woke up at 8:45 PST. Only a few streamers were active. Most were bots running pre-recorded content; facecams saying “Thank you and remember to follow me on Twitch.tv!”. Of the few active users, I saw gamers playing Miinecraft, Fortnite, and various first person shooters that I’m not familiar with. I saw one dude streaming porn (because what are they gonna do, BAN him?). Someone was doing a radio show entitled “Mixer’s Funeral” which featured a looping gif of Gibby from iCarly playing a trumpet in front of a coffin, accompanied by various ‘80’s popular music titles. At 9:00am PST Halo Infinite was announced; many users livestreamed their reaction to the title.

Around 10:00am PST I stumbled upon a co-stream hosted by users DigiDuncan, Gambiy23, and DB05 (all can be found on Twitch under those same names). Each streamer did their own thing; Gambiy23 streamed sitcom King of Queens right from Netflix (because what are they gonna... you know the rest), DigiDuncan scrolled through Mixer watching bits and pieces of others’ final streams, and DB05 watched Youtube poops. On a Discord call together, they wanted to stream until the very end. So this is where I stayed, tuning in and out of chat, laughing along at the long-forgotten sitcom. I got cozy, and waited.

At around 10:40am PST, Gambiy23 received a copyright strike from Mixer and was banned, ceasing the King of Queens stream. I guess even at the End of all things, there are still rules.

[First Screenshot] Knowing that the end was near, DB05 began playing a cutscene of the moon falling to the earth from Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The building music made my heart pound. At 10:54am PST, Mixer pushed notifications reading “So long, and thanks for all the fish :)”, a quote mentioned before the planet Earth is demolished in order to make way for the hyperspace bypass, featured in the book series Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy written by Douglas Adams. When I hear this quote, I think of it as a goodbye to the universe itself; an acknowledgement of the many wonders one has experienced in their life; one last expression of gratuity for the world they inhabited and the gifts they received from it. It was fitting. Mixer, unafraid, gazed into the void and shouted a final “thank you”. At the same time as the push notifications, MixerBots spammed chats with emojis of goldfish, prompting users to do the same. We sent to chats our final “i love you’s”, “thank you’s”, sent emojis and encouragements, “goodbye’s” and “goodnight’s”. DigiDuncan scrolled through the front page of Mixer, and we watched the streams start to blink out, leaving a blue Mixer “X” logo in their place. The confetti showers returned. The site began to lag. Finally, the clock struck 11:00am PST.

And the moon fell.

For a few seconds, the streamers laughed. “Is that it?”, “Is it over?” DB05’s moon had fallen, and the cutscene continued to play. A brilliant flash of white, and Link awakens in the past. The streamers look on, “We’re still he-” Silence cut them off.

The voices of 10 million users, silenced in an instant.

I think we expect the End to be deafening, chaotic, and frightening. Like an Action/disaster movie, filled with explosions and screams and panic. But instead the End was peaceful. Quiet. Almost comforting. It was like sitting atop a hill in the morning before the birds start to sing, watching the sun rise over the horizon. Alone, yet serene.

[Second Screenshot/Third Screenshot] Almost immediately, I realized I could still click around the site. The confetti continued to fall. At 11:12am PST, I returned to the userpage of my friend. All the streams had ended, but the content was still there. User’s “About Me” pages were still active, along with all of their clips, previously recorded streams, and other things like “Stream rules”. I was able to watch the tail end of Magiccake62’s stream from the previous night. I scrolled through Mixer’s homepage, clicking on names to read their bios and watch the stored video clips. It felt like wandering through a neighborhood evacuated before a storm; no time to bring your possessions with you. Houses left unlocked, devoid of life and frozen in time.

[Fourth Screenshot] by 11:13am PST Chats still remained active as long as you did not navigate away from the page. I continued to talk with some of the users that had been watching the stream. Just a few remaining voices, alone in this huge, empty city.

[Fifth screenshot/Sixth Screenshot] As I continued to look through the abandoned homes, I caught the tail end of DMacAttack12’s pre-recorded finale stream from the previous night. He was playing indie game Celeste: Farewell. The main character, upon reaching the top of the mountain, experiences a dream where she sees a long dead friend. She apologizes to the friend for not attending the funeral, and the friend laughs. “The Funeral wasn’t for me. It was for all of you, stuck living on without me,” she chortled. The main character awakens from her dream, and takes the time to reconnect with her friends in the present. Perhaps Mixer’s last day was always meant to be that; not a goodbye, but a way to reconnect with each other.

[Seventh Screenshot] At 11:30am PST, the majority of the streams’ “offline” screencaps had vanished. Chats continued to function, but you could not join new ones. Trying to visit a new stream would result in the chat section loading forever. The voices were dwindling. As far as I could tell, it was just myself and DigiDuncan. We talked about the future and exchanged Twitch handles, and thanked each other for being here - at least we could watch this noiseless sunrise together. We wondered if we were truly alone, if anyone could hear us. We wondered how long this would last. How long did the two of us have, in the End?

[Eighth Screenshot] At 11:38am PST, chat function disconnected. I could no longer send messages to my new friend. Error messages began popping up in place of streams. DigiDuncan told me they were using chat via OBS, a client that helps you set up and organize your stream (I was just using in browser), so their world was completely different from the one that I was experiencing. I worried about DigiDuncan. I was forced out, and I don’t know if they were left to experience the End alone.

[Ninth Screenshot] At 12:10pm PST, All mixer URLs began returning this error message. The End was no longer a void, but a brilliant blinding white light. But as quickly as it came, it vanished.

[Tenth Screenshot] I returned to the Mixer homepage at 12:11pm PST to find it completely empty, but still stylized with the Mixer logo and signature blue backgrounds. The booming voice of the error message notifies me that something has gone wrong as the homes filled with memories I had been visiting vanish around me, leaving endless winding pavement streets and empty grass lots in their wake. What was once a bustling community was now nothing at all. Any presence of the people who once lived here, their culture, their love and their stories, had simply evaporated into the sunrise. With no other words or pictures to advertise streams, everything is quiet. It is peaceful. It is the End.

[Eleventh Screenshot] By 12:16pm PST, all Mixer URLs displayed a graphic of a blue robot with hearts for eyes. This continues to be the case at the time of posting. With no users and no staff, Mixer itself is Alone, yet serene. In this graphic, at the End of all things, Mixer sighs a final “thank you” to the diaspora.

Goodnight Mixer. So long and thanks for all the fun :)

#mixer #twitch

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haridiary · 5 years ago

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10 Best Laptops under $300 in 2020

Laptops are becoming an integral part of the lives of everyone, and each individual has its own unique reasons to own a computer. Some individuals use laptops to play online video games. So they required a heavy-duty device with immersive audio, exceptional video quality, and high speed to handle the complex tasks involved in the games. Some other people need laptops for completing their office tasks, navigating social media channels, and writing purposes. Many others need laptops for viewing movies, streaming videos, and to see other entertainment programs. The costs of your laptop always reflect how you tend to use it irrespective of your needs. If you want to purchase a laptop under $300, then it is unlikely will allow you to play some epic games, including Fortnite Battle Royale. However, it could serve the needs of many people who wanted to have an inexpensive laptop.

New Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) - Gold

$899.99$999.00Rated 4.6 out of 5 by 572 reviewers on Amazon.com

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An inexpensive Chromebook could serve you the better if you’re going to navigate social media, access emails, or willing to do online shopping. There are some of the laptops available under $300 if you want to view a movie while traveling on the flight. If you are finding issues with memory storage space in the inexpensive laptops, you can correct it with the external storage. Most of the time, when you rush to purchase a laptop, people could be heard saying that no matter if you are investing a significant amount in buying a laptop as you will get the return. But, why spend so much money on buying a powerful or heavy laptop suitable for playing games if you are not an online gamer. If your need is to pay online payments, online banking, watching online movies, and YouTube, then an inexpensive laptop would serve you the best. Here is the list of some of the best laptops available under $300:-

2019 HP 14″ Thin And Light Flagship Laptop Computer

HP has earned an excellent reputation in the world of technology, and it is not surprising that they have launched an inexpensive but decent laptop under $300. The laptop has a sleek and polished look with platinum finishing along with having an ultra-slim build up with 1-inch height and 3.10 pounds in weight. The full-size keyboard with island-style and responsive keys along with multi-finger touchpad makes it easy to use. The integration of high-quality stereo speakers, which are two in numbers, makes it suitable for the people to view streaming services and videos.

However, the laptop is not supportive of heavy tasks, but it could be the best choice for the school or business laptop and streaming. The laptop does not have a touch screen display. Still, the Intel HD video graphics, high-quality island keyboard, and right stereo audio make it an excellent choice for the average household, office, classroom, or business use.

Jumper 2 in 1 Laptop With windows 10 and Touch screen Display

The compact and lightweight laptop is considered as the best laptop under $300 suitable for watching high-quality videos with stunning graphics. The integration of HD graphics of the 9th generation with an 11.6-inch display featuring the resolution 1920×1080 makes it perfect to deliver smooth animation, crisp graphics, and stunning visuals.

The laptop provides a more immersive streaming experience during the binge-watching session. Moreover, it could be the best choice when it comes to viewing or storing photos and streaming. Also, the laptop is capable of functioning as a notebook, laptop, or tablet with a 360-degree rotating hook, which makes it highly versatile.

The laptop has 4GB Ram and runs the operating system of Windows 10. It includes a mini HDMI slot, a micro USB port, TF card slot, and a headphone jack. The users can use it for streaming videos, online shopping, net browsing, and navigating social media. Also, it suitable to meet the productivity demand of the office along with having the fast recharge capacity.

Acer Chromebook R11 Convertible Laptop

The laptop could be the best choice for the students and other users for home and office purposes, including online shopping, video watching, navigating social media, and many more. It has Google Chrome operating system, which features all the Google applications. The ultra-fast boot up offered by the laptop protects it from lagging when you are watching or playing. The in-built storage is helpful for you to use the laptop for offline usage.

The laptop has 4GB RAM and runs the Celeron Intel N3060 processor along with having an additional 100GB space of Google Drive. Your saved files are backed up automatically in the device, and it converts your MS Office files easily into Google Sheets, Docs, and slides along with creating new Docs. Also, you can edit your Microsoft files along with downloading it. Moreover, the laptop provides extensive connectivity with a speaker jack and a headphone, DC-in Jack, USB 2.0, HDMI port, Kensington lock slot, and MicroSD card reader. It features a tenkeyless keyboard, an HD webcam along with extensively responsive soft-touch keys.

Simbans TangoTab 10 inch 2-In-1 Tablet and Laptop

The laptop can be used as the tablet as it has the detachable keyboard along with a Universal power adopter. It runs the Google Android 9Pie, which is an operating system, and its 10 inches screen has been protected with a screen protector.

The laptop has several pre-installed apps, which include MS Excel, MS Word, WPS Office, in-built GPS, and many more. You can download all the apps, games, tools, including the apps of social media platforms that you require as Android 9Pie supports it. You can run Skype to get in touch with your friends and relatives as the integration of the microphone and 2 Megapixel camera allow you to do so. Moreover, it allows you to download as many apps as you want from the Google Play store. It is a budget-friendly laptop if you want to enjoy videos, favorite games, Netflix, YouTube, etc. with its high-quality visuals.

ASUS Chromebook C523 Laptop With 15.6′ HD Display

The Chromebook is big, but budget-friendly with a 15.6-inch screen, which is extra thin, and the integration of 6mm bezels are making it one of the best and the biggest screens on any Chromebook. The screen is ideal for watching and enjoying your favorite programs. It is powered by processors of Dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 capable of delivering fast boot-up speed along with launching the tasks instantly.

The Chromebook could not be defeated when it comes to power and speed. Also, the laptop is suitable for multi tasks, along with providing more and more productivity. You can access all the Google apps, and the in-built antivirus not only protects your device but also delivering automatic updates that make it the most efficient laptops. It has just 3 pounds weight, which makes it lightweight, and the integration of a standard USB 3.1 port, two reversible USB C ports, and a MicroSD slot makes it the best for connectivity.

HP Stream Laptop with 14″ HD Display and Intel Celeron N4000 Dual-Core Processor

The lightweight laptop with 3, 5 pounds is easily portable and has enhanced graphics with the integration of Intel Ultra High Definition Graphics 600. It has 4GB memory supportive for basic uses, but you can add an SD card for improving speed and storage. The feature-rich laptop has an island Keyboard, which is in the style of tenkeyless. The integration of great visuals and sound quality makes it the best choice for daily uses.

2020 Lenovo 100E Chromebook 2nd Gen 11.6″ Laptop

The compact and lightweight laptop is capable of versatile functioning, which allows the office workers and students to carry it in their purse, book bag, and backpack. Its processing power is fast and efficient, which allows you to finish your works in speed.

The laptop is responsive and provides seamless functioning among the several active tabs. You can run all the Google apps along with classroom suite useful for the students. It has a battery time of 10 hours, along with it featuring a water-resistant water keyboard. The laptop comes with a USB-C port, USB 3.0 port, SD card reader, HDMI port, and the headphone and microphone jack.

Lenovo ThinkPad T440P 14″ Laptop Computer

The laptop comes with Intel i5 processing, a pro windows10 operating system, and 8GB RAM, which makes it perfect for doing serious business with ample storage and fast processing. It has all the features required to play and work. It comes with a memory card reader, a SIM card slot headphone jack, a VGA port, and 3 USB 3.0 ports. It offers a vast color spectrum, great visuals, and crisp contrast with the integration of the 14-inch display screen. It is the best choice for watching movies, videos, and other favorite programs.

HP Chromebook 14-inch HD Touchscreen Laptop

The integration of high-quality sound and visuals is making it the best possible choice for the users. It supports millions of apps that you need to work efficiently and conveniently. It not only launches your tasks instantly without buffering or lagging behind but also has super responsiveness. It has sleek white chassis providing it a refreshing and unique look. You can enjoy games, videos, and much more, along with enhancing your productivity.

2019 New Lenovo 300e Flagship 2-in-1 business Laptop/Tablet

It is the best laptop if you are looking for a touch screen with a 360-degree hinge, which makes it multi-positional, and it could work as a tablet also. The integration of the Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3450 processor along with the memory of 4GB Ram makes it the fastest in delivering the productivity. It runs on Windows 10, and settings could be done to switch it to Windows 10 pro without spending even a penny. It has enhanced graphics and visuals, making it a solid choice for watching videos and movies. It comes with HD Webcam, a media card reader, and Bluetooth 4.1.

Source: https://haridiary.com/10-best-laptops-under-300-in-2020/

#laptops #gadgets

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wielderofbreidablik · 5 years ago

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//So as everyone knows, there’s a “certain contagion” going around right now and its keeping a lot of people from leaving their house in order to avoid getting and/or spreading the said contagion. So like myself, I imagine you all must be enjoying all of the comforts of home life: writing, sleeping, reading, watching your prefered streaming service, endless hours on social media, and of course, gaming.

Now to be completely straight with you, gaming is how I’ve been spending MOST of my time so far. Some friends I don’t get to play with enough have been stuck inside too, which means that now is the perfect time for us to make up for lost opportunities, but being on my PlayStation means that I can’t be on tumblr - even though I DO want to be more active on here right now. So that got me thinking that maybe I should enable my mutuals to join me in my gaming shenanigans. That way I might reach some sort of compromise on the situation while also getting to know some of you in a way I might not have previously.

So! As of now (at least until the “social distancing” ends) mutuals are free to ask me for my PlayStation Network ID, my Nintendo Online ID, or any other relevant gaming info so that we can hook up and have a good time! If you do, I’ll either hit you up on tumblr or Discord (whichever you prefer!) and I’ll privately send you the info. I’d do it on the dash, but I don’t want my personal account to get flooded with random messages and spam.

“Ah, but wait! We might could play games together Aster, but what games in particular might we play?” you may be asking. Well, that would be a fair point regardless, so for your convenience, here is a list of game consoles I have and what multiplayer games I have for them:

PlayStation 4

Overwatch

Dead by Daylight

Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

Devil May Cry 5

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Friday the 13th the Game

Apex Legends

Final Fantasy XV Multiplayer: Comrades

RWBY Grimm Eclipse

Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Titanfall 2

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist

Soul Calibur VI

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

Dead Rising 2

Read Rising

Evolve

God Eater Resurrection

Overcooked! (I can’t remember if this one has online multiplayer or not tbh)

Rayman Legends (This one as well actually)

7 Days to Die

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy

Grand Theft Auto V

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

PlayStation Vita

Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Mobile

Fire Emblem Heroes (obviously)

RWBY Amity Arena

Fate/Grand Order

Kingdom Hearts Union Cross

Nintendo Switch

Fire Emblem Warrirors

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Human Fall Flat

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Splatoon 2

Cross Play (these games can be played on and with multiple different consoles)

Minecraft

Dauntless

Fortnite

Most F2P games with a “battle pass” subscription service.

...And that’s about it. I think? I don’t know, if I missed any I’ll add them later. And no, I unfortunately don’t have a PC or an Xbox of any sort. But I do have everything, you see above! I haven’t played some as much as others, and some of the ones with offline play haven’t played online at all, but I’d be open to trying anything! The same goes if you know of a game that I could be playing, but is not listed. Also, I’d be glad to take recommendations too! But regardless, this all depends on you gathering up your courage and sliding into my DMs to message me about it. Though of course, nobody has to slide into my DMs at all, because like I said, this is really just a nice thing I thought I could be doing with my mutuals while we’re all holed up in our homes.

#ooc; {notifications}#//Be prepeared to see this on and off througout the next month or so by the way #I'm going to be reblogging it periodically so everyone gets a chance to see it.

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sonicranticoot · 6 years ago

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About CTR, Money, and Both Together: Part 2

Continuing from part 1.

Somehow it has been brought to my attention many more things that just...don’t say any good things, any good things, about the situation of the game and possibly the entire Crash and Spyro franchises going forward. I’m known to keep a very positive image here and I want this to continue, but sometimes, life sucks and then you die. So yes, this one is a lot angrier than the one before. You got to let it all out sometimes.

First thing is how these are actually out now, and boy are they terrible. Not just the fact they exist, but you can make 2500 in about an hour each day with online play. Or just pay Activision (not Beenox) $2.49 for that. A lot of people have been talking about how ridiculously overpriced the bundle for the Probulot 2000 is, and that can take a while to grind out even for online players (I have the dearest sympathies for people who don’t have their console’s online service and are stuck with offline payrates). Or, you could just hand that nice old Activision marketer (not Beenox) $9.99 for coins that disappear as soon as you buy them. I remember years back when Capcom got major slack for selling people costumes in Street Fighter IV for $3.99 a pop. Except there, you got a costume for five characters, and each costume had ten palette swaps. And that’s not going back to before that game, where you could get those in games at the low, low price of being earned as an in-game reward like beating the game on a certain difficulty or whatever.

It just goes back to how it used to be. Crash Team Racing is a 20-year old classic game that had a wealth of content you did not have to pay a cent for past the initial purchase of the game. Some people may say, “well, nothing in the original CTR can be unlocked with microtransactions”, and although that may be correct, it is completely missing the point. Content shown heavily before launch, like all the characters from Crash Nitro Kart and the new karts taken from Tag Team Racing, the stuff that was used to show “hey, look, it’s a little more than just CTR”, that stuff is locked behind an in-game store that allows you to spend real money. That’s not even going into the people who want to put N. Tropy or his digital skin in the shop. I actually commend Beenox for putting in something that, unlike the Pit Stop, forces players to get better at the game to have in their possession. The whole thing takes some pride out of the game. It barely feels like it’s a reward for people who didn’t pay up anymore because now people can go out and buy it with real money. Maybe.

That goes back to the fucking Fortnite store layout. Yeah I know this shop was problematic before, but didn’t go into as much as detail on why it is. Let’s say someone wants that one special skin, they want to buy Crunch that badly, that special car, or paint job. The store is set up to force players to wait, or buy things to roll again and hope what they get shows up. And with the addition of microtransactions, now, you can brute force, but even that still doesn’t help you if the Pit Stop gods don’t feel like playing nice and that special skin you wanted is the very last one in rotation. Some people aren’t that patient. This especially goes for offline players who have to spend hours trying to spend up for even one item. This type of impatience leads to kids stealing daddy’s credit card and spending $1,300 on gambling in FIFA. That’s really where this whole shit stops being “optional”, and feels like a deliberate part of the game. Because it is. It is a deliberate decision made on Activision’s part to make a predatory store. The paid solution now exists to a problem they created, and said paid solution doesn’t even fucking work.

Yes. Some people saw microtransactions coming. Some of these people like the game. Others didn’t like it, and are rubbing it into the former’s face. That doesn’t actually solve the issue here. What is the issue is that they weren’t there. People played the game for over a month without them. All the reviews were out, they were great. YouTubers praised it, both Crash-oriented and otherwise. The ESRB didn’t have to put a warning on the box. It’s all nice and cozy.

Then they do this. I’ve seen the review bombing of Metacritic. I’ve seen many Youtubers who have loved the game before either turn against it, or just express endless disgust over it. The ESRB can’t even do their fucking job of warning people that they are in the game, because there are a lot of copies out there that don’t have the “contains in-game purchases” label on them without glancing at one sentence in size 2 text on the back of the box as if Activision is playing their own twisted game of “ok, how can we tell people they’re in, but in such a way they won’t know it”, so someone, let’s say said person has a gambling problem, can buy the game, hear the good word of mouth from people who played it when it did NOT have MTX, and all of a sudden, they found a game that can prey upon them. I mentioned last time Activision did not make the message clear to consumers. Activision doesn’t want their message clear not just to consumers (and that goes for all consumers, from kids, to people with impulse buying problems, to genuine gambling addicts), but ratings boards either.

In short, all that goodwill Activision built up with this game, Spyro Reignited, Crash N. Sane, it’s gone. Not all of it is. But denying it’s done a crippling blow to things would be foolish. This game has a ton of issues. They��re all still here. MTX are though. It doesn’t give me, or anyone, a reason to trust them about what they do with these franchises, because they aren’t immune to any of the MTX bullshit that regularly plagues Call of Duty or whatever. I like the Crash and Spyro games for many reasons, but one big thing is that their newest release were free of this shit, they were old school ways of making people sold on games: by being really, really good games. You payed for a game. It’s good. Simple. Sweet. To the point.

You know what? Like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, Activision’s own Call of Duty sold millions and reviewed very well when it didn’t have microtransactions as well. FIFA did too. Grand Theft Auto did as well. Mortal Kombat also did. Deus Ex did. 2K sports games did. Fallout did. Elder Scrolls did. Plants vs. Zombies did. Quality games make money by being that. Quality games. Who would’ve guessed. Obviously Activision didn’t make all these games. And that’s the problem. Crash isn’t even new to this shit, it’s just one of countless classic, acclaimed franchises now subjected to the scummiest predatory practices that again, were initially made for free-to-play games that didn’t cost a dime to start playing. You didn’t see these in console games because they weren’t build for that practice. Yes, they make money, but console games could again, make money in a way a F2P mobile game can not: straight-up buying the game.

One of the worst (that’s a drinking game at this point) things is that let’s say people do get the message: everything in CTR can be earned in-game, not all the hard to do at that, the MTX coin rates are terrible, and thus, most people don’t buy the MTX. As in 99% of people don’t buy MTX. But you have whales, that 1% of people who these types of business practices specifically are psychologically engineered to pander to, spending literal thousands of dollars on coins for a cartoon kart racer and Activision can get the idea from them and only them of how to make money. And those types of practices become more accepted because of this, rinse, lather, repeat. There’s no winning scenario except for not having them in the game.

In short, Activision is the single slimiest, greediest, dirtiest, most absolutely fucking disgusting money-lusting pig of a company in the video game business and I am very, very disappointed in how corrupting classic games and franchises with pure filth meant to destroy bank accounts has consumed the industry. Activision is obviously not the only company that does this, but I can’t say many of the others are willing to do things like lie to the people who’s job is to warn people about these things. Fuck. Straight. Off.

Let it be known despite all that I am still a big Crash fan. I love the game. I’m eagerly anticipating Beenox to confirm Pasadena as a playable racer, I want to see how Brio looks in the game as well as what kind of race track the game will see when he is introduced, I want to see the Spyro stuff, I want to see what kind of crazy costumes they make or old school vehicles make a return, etc. I payed $40 for it. That’s the only money I’m giving it because that’s the point. I’m just disappointed. And that’s severely underselling it.

#crash bandicoot #crash team racing nitro fueled #activision #microtransactions #rant

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